APPLICATIONS
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Underwater vehicle benefits from additional
thermal conductivity
KonduitTM thermally conduc-
tive composites from LNP
Engineering Plastics have been
used in a new thermoplastic
encapsulated electric motor for
an undersea remotely operated
vehicle (ROV). The vehicle
must withstand pressures of
10,000 psi at depths of up to
20000 feet (6100 metres)
below sea level. The reinforced
compounds provide the neces-
sary strength, while also radiat-
ing heat away from the electric
motor to prevent overheating
and potential burnout.
According to project engineer-
ing consultancy Encap
Technologies, in order for the
electric motor to work in this
type of environment it has to
be encapsulated in a strong
plastic that has a high thermal
conductivity. Conventional
plastics cannot transfer the heat
generated in the windings. The
Ampacet launches new co/ours for
communications conduit
Lightfast pigments have been
used by Ampacet to develop a
full line of cost effective colour
concentrates for high perform-
ance applications, including
conduits for wires andcables.
The company says that they are
suitable for buried or aerial
applications, where they are
stable for extended periods
above ground and show good
chemical resistance when
buried underground.
The conduit is essentially tub-
ing or ducting that is used to
protect or guide wire and cable
underground, and in indoor or
outdoor aerial applications. In
North America most conduit is
Konduit material can provide
10-50 times more thermal con-
ductivity than typical unfilled
and reinforced thermoplastics,
radiating heat out and away
from the motor.
A low coefficient of linear ther-
mal expansion (CLTE) is
another key advantage of the
material, says LNP Engineering
colour coded so that installers
and technicians can identify
the lines.
Ampacet says that correct pig-
ment selection is critical in
extending the service life of
conduit used in harsh environ-
ments. Conduit lines can be
buried for long periods of time
and they must show recogniza-
ble colour for repair techni-
cians to identify them at a later
date. The company's Belgian
research and development facil-
ity in Messancy conducted an
extensive study on colours for
buried conduit. Colour formu-
lations were tested for resist-
ance to ammonium sulphide, a
I3
Plastics, and can match the per-
formance of metals over the
moulding range. The company
says that it developed a resin
with a specific CLTE perform-
ance to eliminate plastic micro-
fissures by differential contrac-
tion on cooling. Another
benefit of matching the CLTEs
is the elimination of cracking
highly reactive element com-
monly found in soil. The
results showed that many com-
monly used pigments turn
black in the presence of ammo-
nium sulphide. However, some
pigments show resistance and
those, when combined with
other reactive colours, can have
a stabilizing effect on the for-
mulation as a whole.
Ampacet says that the colours
are super concentrated,
designed for a let down ratio of
1% in 125mm thick HDPE
pipe or conduit. This means
that they are easy to meter into
any profile extruder, the com-
pany says. An identical colour
PlasticsAdditives & Compounding October 2000
from thermal shock that can
hinder plastic application
development in larger parts.
The ROV uses three other
thermoplastic compounds from
LNP Engineering Plastics.
These include high strength
Verton long fibre composites
that are used in the nozzle
flanges that protect the motor.
In addition, Lubricomp lubri-
cated compounds are used in
hydrodynamic bearings due to
their wear properties and good
dimensional stability and
Thermocomp reinforced com-
pounds are used in the bearing
flanges providing high stiffness,
dimensional stability and
mouldability, claims LNP
Engineering Plastics.
Contact:
L N P Engineering Plastics
Tel: +1 610363 4500
Fax: +1 610363 4749
www. lnp. com
line with boosted UV inhibitor
package is also available for co-
extrusion of a thinner 25ram
skin layer of colour for long
term outdoor stability. In addi-
tion, the company says that it
can provide a masterbatch that
makes pipe and conduit resist-
ant to rodent damage. Products
can also be developed using
flame retardants, UV stabiliz-
ers, processing aids, purges and
other functional additive con-
centrates.
Contact:
Ampacet Corporation
TeL" +1 914 631 6600
Fax: +1 914 631 7278
www. ampacet, com